Digital Commons Network^™

An Ecological Analysis Of The Elevational Gradient Effect On Mushroom Community Diversity Near Andasibe, Madagascar, Zoe Garver

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

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The effect of elevational gradients on biodiversity has been widely studied in the field of ecology (Rahbek, 1995). The evidence supports a trend for highest biodiversity at mid latitudes and decreasing biodiversity as elevation increases (Rahbek, 1997; Grytnes, 2003; Hariharan and Buckley, 2022). This effect has primarily been explained by variation of temperatures and resource availability at different elevations. However, the effect that elevation plays on fungal communities is relatively underrepresented in the literature (Dahlberg, 2001). This study analyzes changes in mushroom diversity across an elevational gradient in Mitsinjo Reserve and Analamazaotra National Park found in Madagascar. Using the Braun-Blanquet …

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A Systematic Map Of Human-Carnivore Coexistence, Cassandre C. Venumière-Lefebvre, Stewart W. Breck, Kevin R. Crooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

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Carnivore populations globally have largely declined, and coexistence, where humans and carnivores share landscapes, plays a crucial role in carnivore conservation. However, the term “coexistence” is often used in scientific and popular literature without being clearly defined. Herein, we provide a global perspective on what coexistence is and how it is studied. We conducted a systematic map of 366 articles published between 1987 and 2020 to characterize human-carnivore coexistence literature according to coexistence definitions, temporal trends, geographic and taxonomic focus, and four thematic aspects of coexistence: carnivore ecology, human endeavors, social conflict and human-carnivore conflict. We used chi-squared tests and …

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Effects Of Patch Size, Fragmentation, And Invasive Species On Plant And Lepidoptera Communities In Southern Texas, James A. Stilley, Christopher A. Gabler

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Simple Summary

Human land use has removed habitats, separated habitats into small and disconnected fragments, and introduced foreign species, which all harm wildlife. South Texas is highly diverse and home to many endangered species, but human disturbance threatens its wildlife. In south Texas, we poorly understand how different aspects of human land use influence wildlife diversity and abundance. We studied this by surveying plants and butterflies in 24 habitat fragments in south Texas that differed in size, shape, type, and land use history. Human disturbance was extensive, and foreign and weedy species were dominant in most habitats. Habitat types had …

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Spatial And Seasonal Differences In The Top Predators Of Easter Island: Essential Data For Implementing The New Rapa Nui Multiple‐Uses Marine Protected Area, Naiti A. Morales, Erin E. Easton, Alan M. Friedlander, Euan S. Harvey, Rodrigo Garcia, Carlos F. Gaymer

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

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1. Reef fishes are an important component of marine biodiversity, and changes in the composition of the assemblage structure may indicate ecological, climatic, or anthropogenic disturbances. To examine spatial differences in the reef fish assemblage structure around Easter Island, eight sites were sampled during autumn and summer 2016–2017 with baited remote underwater video systems.
2. To determine seasonal changes, quarterly (seasonal) sampling was conducted at five of those eight sites. Fifteen pelagic species of fishes were recorded during this study, some of which have not previously been recorded in scuba surveys, including the Galapagos shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis, Snodgrass & Heller, …

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Functional Traits Explain Amphibian Distribution In The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Ricardo Lourenço-De-Moraes, Felipe S. Campos, Rodrigo B. Ferreira, Karen H. Beard, Mirco Solé, Gustavo A. Llorente, Rogério P. Bastos

Ecology Center Publications

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Aim: Species distributions are one of the most important ways to understand how communities interact through macroecological relationships. The functional abilities of a species, such as its plasticity in various environments, can determine its distribution and beta diversity patterns. In this study, we evaluate how functional traits influence the distribution of amphibians, and hypothesize which functional traits explain the current pattern of amphibian species composition in the Atlantic Forest.

Location: Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Methods: Using potential distributions of Brazilian Atlantic Forest of amphibian species, we analysed the relative importance of abiotic factors and species functional traits in explaining species richness, …

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Isolation, Characterization, And Cross‐Amplification Of 20 Microsatellite Markers For Conospermum Undulatum (Proteaceae), Nicola Delnevo, Andrea Piotti, Eddie J. Van Etten, William D. Stock, Margaret Byrne

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

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PREMISE: Recent habitat fragmentation is posing a risk to the wavy‐leaved smokebush, Conospermum undulatum (Proteaceae), a rare plant species endemic to southwestern Western Australia. Microsatellite markers are required to characterize the genetic diversity and structure of the species for conservation purposes and to facilitate ecological studies.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Illumina MiSeq high‐throughput sequencing was used to develop 20 novel microsatellite markers for C. undulatum. Polymorphism at each locus was assessed using 72 individuals from three natural populations. Nineteen markers were polymorphic, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from two to 21, and observed and expected heterozygosity ranging from …

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The Real Snowbirds Of South Florida: Using Citizen Science To Assess The Ranges Of South Florida's Overwintering Birdsh, Alexander V. Levine

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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The overwintering ranges of North American bird populations are shifting and the winter ranges of south Florida’s landbirds remain understudied. Expert-drawn range maps used for scientific studies and environmental public policy could therefore be depicting inaccurate ranges for many migratory birds. This study used citizen science data from eBird (2001–2017) to evaluate patterns in overwintering avian species richness and identify discrepanciesin expert-drawn species range maps for overwintering passerines in south Florida. Most of Florida’s overwintering bird species were sighted in south Florida. Of the species observed there between 2001 and 2017, 66% had range map discrepancies. Fifteen target species were …

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Ultramafic Geoecology Of South And Southeast Asia, M.L. Galey, A. Van Der Ent, M.C.M. Iqbal, N. Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

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Globally, ultramafic outcrops are renowned for hosting foras with high levels of endemism, including plants with specialised adaptations such as nickel or manganese hyperaccumulation. Soils derived from ultramafic regoliths are generally nutrient-deficient, have major cation imbalances, and have concomitant high concentrations of potentially phytotoxic trace elements, especially nickel. The South and Southeast Asian region has the largest surface occurrences of ultramafic regoliths in the world, but the geoecology of these outcrops is still poorly studied despite severe conservation threats. Due to the paucity of systematic plant collections in many areas and the lack of georeferenced herbarium records and databased information, …

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Thermal Patterns Constrain Diurnal Behavior Of A Ground-Dwelling Bird, J. Matthew Carroll, Craig A. Davis, R. Dwayne Elmore, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Eric T. Thacker

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

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Recently, gaining knowledge about thermal refuges for vulnerable species has been a major focal point of ecological studies, and this focus has been heightened by predicted temperature increases associated with global climate change. To better understand how organisms respond to thermal landscapes and extremes, we investigated the thermal ecology of a gallinaceous bird species (northern bobwhite; Colinus virginianus, hereafter bobwhite) during a key life history period. Specifically, our study focused on the brood-rearing period of precocial bobwhite chicks associated with brood-attending adults. We measured site-specific black bulb temperatures (Tbb) and vegetation characteristics across 38 brood tracking days and 68 random …

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Habitat Use Of The Key Largo Woodrat (Neotoma Floridana Smalli), Lauren J. Barth

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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Key Largo woodrats are an endangered subspecies with an extremely limited habitat. This study sought to understand woodrat habitat preferences in order to guide management. Woodrats build stick nests from natural and artificial materials, so nest distribution and nest occupancy were used as indicators of preference. Distribution was determined by nest surveys, and remote cameras were used to assess occupancy. Forest structure, human disturbance, nest, and animal presence metrics were also collected. More nests were found along abandoned roads than along forest transects and more artificial nests were occupied than natural nests. These findings indicate that woodrats prefer areas with …

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Carrying Capacity For Species Richness As A Context For Conservation: A Case Study Of North American Breeding Birds, Andrew J. Hansen, Linda Bowers Phillips, Curtis H. Flather, Jim Robinson-Cox

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

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Aim To demonstrate that the concept of carrying capacity for species richness (S_K) is highly relevant to the conservation of biodiversity, and to estimate the spatial pattern of S_K for native landbirds as a basis for conservation planning.

Location North America.

Methods We evaluated the leading hypotheses on biophysical factors affecting species richness for Breeding Bird Survey routes from areas with little influence of human activities.We then derived a best model based on information theory, and used this model to extrapolate SK across North America based on the biophysical predictor variables. The predictor variables included the …

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Conserving Migratory Land Birds In The New World: Do We Know Enough?, John Faaborg, Richard T. Holmes, Angela D. Anders, Keith L. Bildstein

Dartmouth Scholarship

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Migratory bird needs must be met during four phases of the year: breeding season, fall migration, wintering, and spring migration; thus, management may be needed during all four phases. The bulk of research and management has focused on the breeding season, although several issues remain unsettled, including the spatial extent of habitat influences on fitness and the importance of habitat on the breeding grounds used after breeding. Although detailed investigations have shed light on the ecology and population dynamics of a few avian species, knowledge is sketchy for most species. Replication of comprehensive studies is needed for multiple species across …

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Temporal Shifts In Demography And Life History Of An Anadromous Alewife Population In Connecticut, Justin P. Davis, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

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Populations of anadromous alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) are declining throughout much of their range, particularly in southern New England where fishery moratoriums have recently been instituted in three states. The alewife run at Bride Brook, a coastal stream in East Lyme, Connecticut, was studied from 2003-06 to assess shifts in demography and life history. Annual censuses of abundance, along with sampling for size, age, and spawning history structure were conducted. These data were compared to similar data in 1966-67 at this site. Recent alewife runs at Bride Brook featured lower abundance and younger, smaller fish that were less likely to be …

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Effects Of Population Size And Density On Pollinator Visitation, Pollinator Behavior, And Pollen Tube Abundance In Lupinus Perennis, Christopher E. Bernhardt, Randall J. Mitchell, Helen J. Michaels

Biology Faculty Research

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Both the number and the density of flowering plants in a population can be important determinants of pollinator abundance and behavior. We report the joint effects of population size and density on pollinator visitation and pollination success for Lupinus perennis (Fabaceae). Focusing on five pairs of populations, we matched one small population (125-800 flowering plants) with one distinctly larger population (1000-3000 flowering plants). In these pairs, population size did not affect pollinator communities or pollination success. All measures of pollination success increased significantly with density. Only bee behavior (number of flowers probed per inflorescence) exhibited a significant interaction of size …

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Management Of The Houtman Abrolhos System. A Draft Review 2007 - 2017, Department Of Fisheries (Western Australia) On Advice From The Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee

Fisheries management papers

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This review contains a brief description of the Abrolhos System and its special values. It also states the goal and principal objectives for management during the next ten years (2006-2016), along with updated strategies to achieve these objectives. The document succinctly outlines the direction for multiple use management of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands as determined by the Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee (AIMAC). The Committee’s role is to advise the Minister for Fisheries on management of the Abrolhos Islands and the Abrolhos Islands Fish Habitat Protection Area.

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Anadromous Rainbow Smelt And Tomcod In Connecticut: Assessment Of Populations, Conservation Status, And Need For Restoration Plan, Heather A. Fried, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

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(beginning of rainbow smelt executive summary)

Evidence indicates that anadromous rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) populations in Connecticut and elsewhere in the northeast United States have severely declined. Several sampling programs have documented declines in Connecticut’s smelt populations over the last three decades (Marcy 1976a, Marcy 1976b, Millstone Environmental Laboratory 2005). Similar declines have also been documented in the Hudson River (ASA Analysis & Communication 2005) and in Massachusetts (personal communication, Brad Chase, MA Division of Marine Fisheries 2004). Recreational and commercial fisheries in the region for this species have virtually ceased (Blake and Smith 1984). The Connecticut Fish Advisory Committee …

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Assessment Of Anadromous Alewife And Blueback Herring Populations In Connecticut Coastal Streams And Connecticut River Tributaries, Justin P. Davis, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

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Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (A. aestivalis) occur in anadromous populations that have a largely overlapping distribution from Florida to Newfoundland (Loesch 1987). Anadromous populations of these species are commonly collectively referred to as “river herring”. Adults inhabit coastal shelf waters until sexual maturity is reached at age 3-5 (Neves 1981). Sexually mature individuals make spawning migrations, commonly referred to as “runs”, into freshwater systems during spring months (Loesch 1987). Spawners can survive and return to spawn in subsequent years (Mullen et al. 1986). Juveniles reside in freshwater for 3-7 months, at which time they undertake a gradual migration …

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The Ecology Of Lianas And Their Role In Forests, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Frans Bongers

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

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Recent studies have demonstrated the increasingly important role of lianas (woody vines) in forest regeneration, species diversity and ecosystem-level processes, particularly in the tropics. Mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of liana species diversity could yield new insights into the maintenance of overall species diversity. Lianas contribute to forest regeneration and competition, not only by competing directly with trees, but also by differentially affecting tree species and thus changing how trees compete among themselves. In addition, they contribute considerably to ecosystem-level processes, such as whole-forest transpiration and carbon sequestration. As the rate of tropical forest disturbance increases, they are likely to …

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